Recognition of implantable medical device

ABSTRACT

Controlling the interaction between an external device and an implanted device, including a method of controlling interaction between an external device and an implanted device, the method including at least the steps of: establishing communications between the implanted device and the external device; the external device determining an identification of the implant and comparing the identification with identifications in a stored list; if the device matches one of said identifications, then using a corresponding set of operating parameters to interact with said implant; and otherwise, not interacting with said device.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a reissue application of U.S. Pat. No.8,784,312, issued Jul. 22, 2014, from application Ser. No. 12/279,055,filed Mar. 27, 2009. The present application is a National Stageapplication of PCT/AU2007/000142 entitled “IMPLANT ID RECOGNITION”,filed on Feb. 9, 2007, which claims priority from Australian ProvisionalPatent Application No. 2006900628, filed on Feb. 10, 2006, which arehereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.

BACKGROUND

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to implantable medical devices, and moreparticularly, to recognition of implantable medical devices.

2. Related Art

Implantable hearing prostheses provide the benefit of hearing toindividuals suffering from severe to profound sensorineural hearingloss. Sensorineural hearing loss is due to the absence or destruction ofthe hair cells in the cochlea which transduce acoustic signals intonerve impulses. An implantable hearing prosthesis essentially simulatesthe cochlear hair cells by delivering electrical stimulation to theauditory nerve fibers. This causes the brain to perceive a hearingsensation resembling the natural hearing sensation.

The present invention is particularly concerned with situations where auser, patient or recipient, “recipient” herein has an externalprocessing device that communicates with an implanted device. Forexample, in a modern, conventional cochlear implant, an external speechprocessor transmits power and data to the implanted device via aninductive coil arrangement. The implanted device includes an electrodearray to deliver the desired electrical stimuli to the cochlea of therecipient.

Once implanted, the implant system is typically adjusted to suit thespecific needs of the recipient. As the dynamic range for electricalstimulation is relatively narrow and varies across recipients andelectrodes, there is a need to individually tailor the characteristicsof electrical stimulation for each recipient. This procedure, oftenreferred to as “fitting,” “programming,” “mapping” (“mapping” herein)involves measuring and controlling the amount of electrical currentdelivered to the cochlea. Typically, a clinician, audiologist or othermedical practitioner (generally and collectively referred to as“audiologist” herein) uses interactive software and computer hardware tocreate individualized programs, commands, data, settings, parameters,instructions, and/or other information (generally and collectivelyreferred to as a “MAP” herein) that define the specific characteristicsused to generate the electrical stimulation signals presented to theelectrodes of the implanted electrode assembly. It is increasinglycommon for recipients to have a cochlear implant for each ear, which iscommonly known as bilateral implantation. The advantages of bilateralimplantation vary from recipient to recipient, and may include improvedspeech perception, and the ability to localize sounds. However, due todifferences in the anatomy and physiology of recipients, and in the needto precisely place the electrode array, there will almost always bedifferences in the map between the left and right ears. The recipientwill have two speech processor devices, each operating according to adifferent MAP. The speech processor devices are typically identical inappearance, and may inadvertently be swapped. This is a particular issuefor very young and elderly recipients, as well as those with conditionssuch visual impairment. The use of the incorrect speech processor devicewill at best lead to reduced speech perception, as the incorrect MAP isapplied, and potentially to pain for the recipient as excessivestimulation values are utilized for that ear.

SUMMARY

In a broad form, the present invention provides multiple sets ofoperating parameters (maps or the like) within each external device,each set being associated with an identified implant. Before theexternal device begins to transmit stimulation or other operational datato the implant, it determines the identity of the implant, and then usesthe corresponding set.

According to one aspect, the present invention provides a method ofcontrolling interaction between an external device and an implanteddevice, the method including at least the steps of:

establishing communications between the implanted device and theexternal device;

the external device determining an identification of the implant andcomparing the identification with identifications in a stored list;

if the device matches one of said identifications, using a correspondingset of operating parameters to interact with said implant; and

otherwise, not interacting with said device.

According to another aspect, the present invention provides an externaldevice adapted to interact with an implanted device, the external devicebeing adapted to detect an identification from an implanted device,determine if the identification corresponds to one of a plurality ofidentifications, and if the identification does correspond, utilise astored set of operating parameters corresponding to said identification.

According to another aspect, the present invention provides an externalhearing device adapted to interact with an implanted device, theexternal device being able to be operatively positioned to interact witheither a left ear or right ear implanted device, said external deviceincluding sensor means operatively adapted to detect whether theexternal device is positioned to interact with the left ear or the rightear implanted device, and in response to said sensor utilise a storedset of operating parameters corresponding to the left ear or the rightear implanted device.

The present invention accordingly provides an arrangement whereby, forthe bilateral implantee, it does not matter which SP is selected forwhich ear—both can store the map for each ear, and deliver the correctstimulation instructions for the respective implant. If the implant isnot identified, the SP will not operate. The invention can be applied inany form of implanted device where multiple external devices may beinadvertently associated with the wrong implanted device.

The invention is also applicable to implanted devices where the externaldevice may only be periodically connected, for example, a totallyimplantable auditory prosthesis.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described withreference to the accompanying figures, in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates schematically a bilateral implant situation;

FIG. 2 is a conceptual block diagram of the operation of oneimplementation of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the requiredsoftware of one implementation;

FIG. 4 illustrates the general operation of a cochlear implant system;

FIG. 5 illustrates the operation of another implementation of theidentification system; and

FIG. 6 is a graph illustrating how the characterisation of a predefinedsubset of parameters can be used to differentiate between two similarimplants.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present invention is capable of implementation in any desired typeof implantable device which interacts with an external device. Forexample, the present invention may be used in conjunction with anyacoustic or electrical auditory device, such as a middle ear implant,intracochlear array implant, brain stem implant, implanted acousticdevice or any combination, for example combined electrical and acousticstimulation. The external device may be continuously, intermittently oroccasionally in communication with the implanted device. The presentinvention may also be used in non-auditory applications where acomponent is implanted and interacts with an external device. However,embodiments of the invention are described with reference to anembodiment in a cochlear implant system.

FIG. 1 illustrates conceptually a recipient 10 having an intracochleardevice 11, 12 implanted in each ear 13, 14, respectively. For eachimplant 11, 12, a corresponding external device 17, 18 is required. Theexternal device incorporates one or more microphones, batteries,processor and the necessary software to process sound signals andtransmit them via coils 15, 16 to the implanted device.

A more detailed description of typical external and implant devices of acochlear implant is provided in FIG. 4. It is noted that such devicesare in widespread commercial use, and well understood by those skilledin the art, so that only a general overview of their structure andoperation will be provided. Moreover, various structural variations andalternatives exist, as will be well known to those skilled in the art.

FIG. 4 illustrates an overview of the components of one form ofimplantable hearing prosthesis, a cochlear implant. The externalcomponent of the cochlear implant, generally indicated as 142, includesa behind the ear (BTE) device 116, designed to sit behind the pinna 122.This houses the required electronics and software (not shown), andbatteries to power the external component as well as transfer power tothe implanted device 144. BTE device 116 is connected via a lead 118 tothe antenna transmitter coil 106, which is generally disc shaped andincludes housing 108 for the coil itself (not shown). A magnet 110 isprovided to assist in correctly locating the antenna transmitter coil106 relative to the implanted device, to optimize efficiency of powerand data transfer.

The implanted component 144 includes receiver/stimulator unit 112 andelectrode lead 130. Receiver stimulator unit 112 includes a sealedelectronics package 128, and a coil 124 to receive the RF signals sentfrom transmitter coil 106. There may also be a back transmissionmechanism, to transfer telemetry data to the external device 142. Amagnet 140 provides assistance in alignment of the transmission coil106. Electrode lead 130 passes stimuli to the electrodes 134 fordelivery within the cochlea 132, so as to produce a neural response inauditory nerve 138.

In operation, the electronics within the BTE device 116 convert sounddetected by microphone(s) 120 into a coded signal. The external antennacoil 106 transmits the coded signals, together with power, to thereceiver/stimulator unit 112 via a radio frequency (RF) link.

Once implanted, the parameters for stimulation are typically adjusted tosuit the specific needs of the recipient. As the dynamic range forelectrical stimulation is relatively narrow and varies across recipientsand electrodes, there is a need to individually tailor thecharacteristics of electrical stimulation for each recipient. Audiologymeasurements may be used to establish the useful range for eachelectrode, and such parameters can be stored within the recipient's BTEdevice 116 for continual use. As noted, this procedure is often referredto as “mapping” and is the term commonly given to the process ofmeasuring and controlling the amount of electrical current delivered toeach electrode, as well as selecting which electrodes to stimulatecorresponding to the respective sound signal. Other operational issueswhich may differ between ears include the speech processing strategy orparameters of that strategy, when to switch between differentstrategies, and other functions and parameters. Different “MAPS” may beapplied in different situations/environments such as home, car,classroom, theatre etc, so each external device may store many maps. Itwill be appreciated that the present invention is applicable to theselection of all such functions and parameters as may be customizablefor each patient or implant according to the particular requirements andoptions of the implant and external device in question.

Importantly for the present invention, the MAP for each implant willdiffer due to variations in the patient's anatomy and physiology, and inthe precise placement of the electrode array, there will almost alwaysbe differences in the MAP between the left and right ears.

FIG. 2 illustrates one implementation of the present invention.Microphone(s) 120 receives ambient sound signals which are thenprocessed by a digital signal processor (DSP) 31. The signals areprocessed according to any one of the known speech processing strategiesto produce a set of signals which are intended as the basis forstimulation. The signals are then converted into specific sets ofstimuli for specific electrodes at specific times and for specificamplitudes. The set of MAPS (that is, the MAPS corresponding todifferent environments) for the appropriate implanted component 144 isrequired to perform this process. According to this implementation,multiple sets of MAPS are stored, each set of MAPS corresponding to aparticular implant identifier. Embodiments of the implant identifier aredescribed in further detail below. Module 33 selects the appropriateMAP, and other parameters as required, based on the implant IDidentified by module 33. Once the stimuli have been determined, theappropriate coded signals are transmitted via the bidirectionalcommunications interface 34 to interface 44 of implanted component 144.From the perspective of implanted component 144, it is not necessary tochange the mode of operation. The receiver/stimulator 41 receives thesignal, converts it to a set of stimuli, for example using an optionaldigital signal processor (DSP) 42, and sends the stimuli to electrodes134.

Implanted component 144 may contain a module to provide the require IDsignal. This may be any arrangement capable of providing an appropriateID signal which is not shared with other implants. It is ideally unique,but need not be. One option would be to send a specific electricalsignal after power up or after detection that the external device is inoperation. This type of ID is used in some commercially availabledevices. Any alternative form of implant identification can be employedwith the present invention.

One alternative would be to provide some form of specific automaticidentification of which side of the recipient's head an external device,such as a BTE device, has been placed. This could be done by the use ofa proximity or thermal sensor such as is shown as reference 200 on FIG.4. In the thermal case, the sensor will operatively either be placednear adjacent the user's head, or facing away, with a substantialdifference in heat. This allows the appropriate left or right map to beselected. However, this does not prevent the recipient from using acompletely wrong device, as may occur in a classroom situation.

Another alternative would be to provide a source localization algorithmon the microphone in external device 17, 18. If the device is on theleft ear, most sound will come from the right side and vice versaallowing determination of which ear the device has been placed andtherefore allowing the appropriate selection of left or right map.

If no sensor is working and the implanted component is one that cannottransmit internal voltages, external device 17, 18 may still have MAPSfor the left and right which the recipient 10 may select themselves, forexample by pressing a selection button at start-up.

An approach suitable for use for an implant which has not been designedto produce a specific ID signal will be described with reference toFIGS. 5 and 6. The general approach is in principle applicable to anyimplant which is capable of sending the required parameters via atelemetry system to the external device. The principle of this approachis that each device has internal operating values that vary from deviceto device. The present example uses certain internal voltages which canbe output using existing telemetry arrangements, and which as astatistical measure allow for accurate identification of particularimplants. However, any suitable subset of internal parameters could beused as may be appropriate for a particular implant device.

FIG. 5 illustrates the statistical basis used. In any real system,manufacturing variations result in various parameters having a normallydistributed range of values about a nominal value. The parameters arerequired to fall within minimum and maximum ranges to be acceptable froma quality perspective. However, some of these values are relativelyconstant over time, and are a specific value of that parameter for theparticular implant. When a number of these parameters are consideredseparately, then if there is a sufficient overall match, the implant canbe sufficiently identified.

The choice of the suitable subset of parameters for use in deviceidentification will depend on device design and the normal variance ofthe parameters. Most active implantable devices have a range of internalparameters that may be suitable, such as regulated supply voltages,reference voltages and programmable currents.

For example, referring to FIGS. 6A and 6B, the following parametersmight be selected:

Parameter 1=Regulated analogue supply voltage (Vdda)

Parameter 2=Regulated digital supply voltage (Vddd)

Parameter 3=Reference voltage (Vref)

Parameter 4=Voltage measured across internal load for stimulus level A1

Parameter 5=Voltage measured across internal load for stimulus level A2,where the value of the internal load resistor and the two current levelsA1 and A2 will vary between implants.

Parameters 6 to 10=Parameters 1 to 5 but measured using a differentvoltage measurement range. The gains of the different measurement rangeswill vary between implants, for example due to the non-linearity of thevoltage amplifier in each implant.

Alternatively, other measurements such as the physiological propertiesof the ear, eg some aspect of the neural response with the implant orthe impedance of the electrodes in the cochlea, can be used asparameters for use in device identification.

FIGS. 6A and 6B show the value of various voltages, plotting theparameter value against the parameter. It can be seen that each implanthas a specific signature which is different from other implants, so asto provide a specific identification of a particular implant. It ispossible that another implant could have the set of parameter values,but this is sufficiently unlikely that that the practical risk ofinadvertent connection may be disregarded.

One implant will now be described. For each implant (at the time offirst surgery, or first fitting) the subset of parameters listed aboveis measured and stored as internal ID pattern. To improve thereliability of the measurement the parameters can be averaged, whichalso serves to minimize the statistical variance.

Every time the speech processor is placed on an implant the same subsetof parameters is measured. The ID recognition test passes if and only ifall of the parameters measured lie within, say T*sd of the value of thatparameter in the internal ID pattern. The parameter T is a thresholdthat determines the trade-off between the sensitivity and specificity ofthe test: a large value of T means that we have a very low probabilityof wrongfully rejecting the correct implant (false negative rate), asmall value of T means we have a low probability of wrongfully acceptingthe wrong implant (false positive rate). The parameter sd in the testcriteria is the standard deviation of each parameter on repetitivemeasurement on the same implant, which is around 0.6 for the Freedomimplant. Trials have indicated that T=3.25 provides acceptable falsenegative and false positive outcomes. It will be understood that foreach type of implant, different parameters may be appropriate, anddifferent values for T and standard deviation will need to be applied.The standard deviation may be different for different parameters.

It will be appreciated that this is a process which will differ fordifferent external devices and a suitable set of identificationparameters can be selected as has been described.

In practice, every time the speech processor is switched on stimulationshould be halted until an implant is detected. Also, when a coil-offcondition occurs for longer than 3 seconds, stimulation should haltuntil the implant is detected again. Before starting stimulation (atswitch on, or after coil-off the test should pass first.

When an implant is (re)detected, the above mentioned parameters aremeasured using 50 averages. This dataset is labelled D(1) . . . D(n).The speech processor should check that for I=1 . . . n:R(i)+T*sd<T(i)>R(i)−T*sd

When the test passes, stimulation can start. If the test fails, it isrepeated to rule out statistical errors. When after five (5) tests, thetest still fails the speech processor should refrain from stimulatingand give a helper message on the LCD display of the implant.

It may be desirable in some applications that the user be able tooverrule the error and start stimulation by a specific button presscombination to manually select the correct operating program for theimplant.

It will be understood that a different process may be used to implementthe invention if desired, and that alternative processes are likely fordifferent external devices.

FIG. 3 is a flow chart illustrating the process which can be employed inthe BTE device 116 software. It is noted that it would be possible toperform the ID process primarily from the implant itself, however, ingeneral it is preferred to minimise the complexity and processing loadfor the implanted device.

FIG. 3 shows the step 50 by which the identifier is detected. This willobviously differ depending upon the identifier used. Once the identifieris located, at step 51, the appropriate parameters and mode of operationwill be selected, corresponding to the implant identified. It will beappreciated that the exact set of parameters will depend upon the typeof implant, and apart from the map as such, may include other operatingparameters, mode of stimulation, type of speech processing algorithm,and such other parameters as are desired.

It is preferred that the identification process occur as often asrequired to ensure safe operation. This may include, for example, atpower on of the BTE device, or whenever communications between theimplant and BTE are interrupted for more than some predetermined period,for example 3 seconds. In each case, the ID process should be completedbefore stimulation occurs.

Once the parameters are determined at step 51, operation of the devicecan be initiated. At step 53, operation can continue until conditionsrequire the ID to be re-checked, as noted above.

It will be understood that the present invention may be applied toinclude more than two sets of operating parameters. For example, in ahousehold where there are multiple implant users, all the SP devicescould be loaded with the parameters for the implants of everyone in thehouse. This may be of particular benefit with small children. Thepresent invention further provides flexibility for the user. If one SPdevice is not operating, for example due to low battery power, theremaining device can be used for the better ear.

Further features and advantages of the present invention may be found inInternational Application No. PCT/AU2007/000142 entitled “IMPLANT IDRECOGNITION”, filed on Feb. 9, 2007, which claims priority fromAustralian Provisional Patent Application No. 2006900628, filed on Feb.10, 2006, which are hereby incorporated by reference.

It will be appreciated that any other suitable identification processcan be used in accordance with the present invention. Variations andadditions can be readily added as will be apparent to those skilled inthe art.

The invention claimed is:
 1. An external hearing device adapted tointeract with an implanted implantable internal device, the externaldevice being able to be operatively positioned to interact with either aleft ear or right ear implanted implantable internal device, saidexternal device including a detector operatively adapted to detectwhether the external device is positioned to interact with the left earor the right ear implantable internal device, and wherein the externalhearing device is configured to, in response to said detection, selectand utilize a stored set of operating parameters corresponding to theleft ear or the right ear implantable internal device to allow theexternal device to operate with the implantable internal device.
 2. Theexternal device according to claim 1, wherein the implantable internaldevice is a cochlear implant and the external device is a speechprocessor.
 3. The external device according to claim 1, wherein thedetector includes one or more of a proximity sensor, a thermal sensor ora source localization algorithm stored in the external device.
 4. Theexternal device according to claim 1, wherein the operating parametersare selected from a group including one or more of an electrode mapincluding stimulation levels, selection of electrodes to stimulate,speech processing strategy or algorithm, parameters of the speechprocessing strategy, or when to switch between different speechprocessing strategies.
 5. The external device according to claim 1,wherein the external device is configured to allow a user to manuallyselect whether the set of operating parameters corresponding to the leftear or the right ear implantable internal device are utilized by theexternal device.
 6. The external device according to claim 1, furthercomprising a display, wherein the display is configured to display amessage indicating at least the internal device that the external deviceis interacting with.
 7. The external device according to claim 1,wherein the detector is configured to determine at least one identifierof the left ear or the right ear implantable internal device.
 8. Theexternal device according to claim 7, wherein the identifier is atransmitted identification signal.
 9. The external device according toclaim 7, wherein the identifier is determined from a set of measuredparameters related to one or more of either the implantable internaldevice and or physiological properties of the left ear or the right earinternal device an ear of a recipient of the external device.
 10. Theexternal device according to claim 7, wherein the identifier is anidentification tag or device operating independently of the normalcommunication path between the left ear or the right ear implantableinternal device and the external device.
 11. The external deviceaccording to claim 7, wherein the detector external device is configuredto compare the identifier of the left ear or right ear implantableinternal device to a list of known identifiers to confirm that theimplantable internal device is known.
 12. The external device accordingto claim 11, wherein the detector external device is configured toselect and utilize the set of operating parameters stored on theexternal device, the operating parameters corresponding to theimplantable internal device, and enabling the external device to operatewith the implantable internal device based on the comparison of theidentifier of the left ear or right ear implantable internal device tothe list of known identifiers.
 13. The external device according toclaim 1, wherein the operating parameters are selected from a groupincluding one or more of an electrode map including stimulation levels,selection of electrodes to stimulate, speech processing strategy oralgorithm, parameters of the speech processing strategy, or when toswitch between different speech processing strategies.
 14. The externaldevice according to claim 1, wherein the external device automaticallyselects a set of operating parameters map to be utilized by the externaldevice.
 15. The external device according to claim 1, wherein thedetector external device is configured to select and utilize the set ofoperating parameters from a plurality of operating parameter sets,wherein each operating parameter set of the plurality of operatingparameter sets corresponds to a particular implantable internal device.16. The external device according to claim 1, wherein the externaldevice is a behind-the-ear (BTE) external device.
 17. The externaldevice according to claim 11, wherein the detector is configured toperiodically determine a new identifier and compare the new determinedidentifier to the list of known identifiers to confirm that theidentifier is known.
 18. The external device according to claim 7,wherein the detector is configured to terminate operation of theexternal device if the identifier is determined not to be known.
 19. Anexternal hearing device, the external device being able to berespectively operatively positioned at a first position to interact witha left ear implantable device and operatively positioned at a secondposition to interact with a right ear implantable device, said externaldevice configured to detect whether the external device is positioned tointeract with the left ear implantable device or the right earimplantable device, and in response to said detection, utilize a storedset of operating parameters corresponding to the left ear or the rightear implantable device, wherein a plurality of sets of operatingparameters are stored in the external hearing device, and the externalhearing device is configured to select a respective set of operatingparameters from the plurality of sets of operating parameters for therespective left ear implantable device and selects a respective set ofoperating parameters from the plurality of sets of operating parametersfor the respective right ear implantable device.
 20. The externalhearing device of claim 19, wherein the left ear implantable device andthe right ear implantable device are a stimulator/receiver unit of acochlear implant and the external device is a cochlear implant speechprocessor.
 21. The external hearing device of claim 19, wherein theexternal device configured to, upon a detection that the external deviceis positioned to interact with the left ear implantable device, utilizea first stored set of operating parameters from amongst the plurality ofsets of operating parameters that are based on a MAP for the left ear,and to, upon a detection that the external device is positioned tointeract with the right ear implantable device, utilize a second storedset of operating parameters from amongst the plurality of sets ofoperating parameters that are based on a MAP for the right ear, the MAPfor the right ear being different than the MAP for the left ear.
 22. Amethod for operating an external device with an implanted internaldevice, comprising: establishing communications between the externaldevice and the internal device; determining, by the external device, atleast one identifier of the internal device; comparing, by the externaldevice, the identifier of the internal device to a list of knownidentifiers to confirm that the internal device is known; and selectingand utilizing, by the external device, a set of operating parametersstored on the external device, the operating parameters corresponding tothe internal device, and enabling the external device to operate withthe internal device.
 23. The method of claim 22, wherein the internaldevice is a stimulator/receiver unit of a cochlear implant and theexternal device is a cochlear implant speech processor.
 24. The methodof claim 22, wherein the operating parameters include at least one of anelectrode map including stimulation levels, which electrodes tostimulate, type of speech processing strategy or algorithm, parametersof the speech processing strategy, or when to switch between differentspeech processing strategies.
 25. The method of claim 22, wherein theidentifier is determined from a set of measured parameters related toone or more of either the internal device or physiological properties ofan ear of a recipient of the external device.
 26. The method of claim22, wherein the internal device is an internal device of a hearingprosthesis, and the external device is an external device of the hearingprosthesis.
 27. The method of claim 22, wherein the internal device isan internal device of a middle ear implant, and the external device isan external device of the middle ear implant.
 28. The method of claim22, wherein the internal device is an internal device of an implantedacoustic device, and the external device is an external device of theimplanted acoustic device.
 29. The method of claim 22, wherein theinternal device is an internal device of an acoustic auditory device,and the external device is an external device of the acoustic auditorydevice.
 30. The method of claim 22, wherein the internal device is aninternal device of an electrical auditory device, and the externaldevice is an external device of the electrical auditory device.
 31. Themethod of claim 22, wherein the internal device is an internal device ofa cochlear implant, and the external device is an external device of thecochlear implant.
 32. The method of claim 22, wherein: the action ofutilizing, by the external device, the set of operating parametersincludes using a different set of operating parameters that aredifferent than a set of other currently stored operating parameters, theother currently stored operating parameters being also currently storedon the external device, and operating the internal device based onoperating parameters selected during the action of selecting andutilizing, by the external device, a set of operating parameters; andthe method further includes subsequently to the action of selecting andutilizing: establishing communications between the external device and adifferent internal device; determining, by the external device, at leastone identifier of the different internal device different than thedetermined at least one identifier of the internal device; comparing, bythe external device, the different identifier of the different internaldevice to the list of known identifiers to confirm that the differentinternal device is known; and selecting and utilizing, by the externaldevice, the set of other currently stored operating parameters stored onthe external device, the other currently stored operating parameterscorresponding to the different internal device, and enabling theexternal device to operate with the different internal device.
 33. Themethod of claim 32, further comprising the action of operating thedifferent internal device based on the set of other currently storedoperating parameters after enabling the external device to operate withthe different internal device.
 34. The method of claim 22, wherein theaction of utilizing, by the external device, the set of operatingparameters includes using a different set of operating parameters than aset previously utilized, and operating the internal device based on theset of operating parameters that was selected and utilized, by theexternal device without changing a mode of operation of the internaldevice.
 35. The method of claim 22, wherein the action of selecting aset of operating parameters includes selecting a set of operatingparameters from a plurality of sets of different operating parametersthat are stored in the external device.
 36. The method of claim 22,wherein the action of selecting a set of operating parameters includesselecting a set of operating parameters from a plurality of sets ofdifferent operating parameters that are stored in the external device,wherein at least one of the sets of different operating parameters ofthe plurality of sets of different operating parameters corresponds to aset of operating parameters for a second implanted device, which atleast one of the sets of different operating parameters is not selectedand not utilized based on the action of comparing the identifier of theinternal device.
 37. The method of claim 22, wherein: the actions ofestablishing communications, determining at least one identifier,comparing the identifier and selecting and utilizing the set ofoperating parameters are executed while the external device is locatedagainst the head of a recipient.
 38. The method of claim 22, wherein theaction of establishing communications between the external device andthe internal device is executed via an antenna transmitter coil that islocated proximate a head of a recipient outside the skin of therecipient and a receiver coil that is located inside the head of therecipient.
 39. The method of claim 22, wherein the external deviceincludes a first component held against skin of a recipient via magneticinteraction with an implanted ferromagnetic material that is part of theimplanted internal device, wherein the action of establishingcommunications between the external device and the internal device isexecuted using the first component.
 40. The method of claim 22, whereinthe method of operating is a method of controlling operation of theimplanted device with the external device.
 41. The method of claim 22,wherein the action of establishing communications between the externaldevice and the internal device is executed via a transmitter componentthat is located proximate a head of a recipient outside the skin of therecipient and a receiver component that is located inside the head ofthe recipient.
 42. The method of claim 22, wherein the external deviceincludes a first component held against skin of a recipient via magneticinteraction with an implanted magnet that is part of the implantedinternal device, wherein the action of establishing communicationsbetween the external device and the internal device is executed usingthe first component.
 43. An external device adapted to interact with animplantable internal device, the implantable internal device having atleast one identifier, and the external device having a stored set ofoperating parameters; the external device configured to detect theidentifier from the implantable internal device, determine if theidentifier corresponds to one of a plurality of identifiers, and if theidentifier does correspond, select and utilize a stored set of operatingparameters corresponding to the identifier that corresponds to one ofthe plurality of identifiers to allow the external device to operatewith the implantable internal device.
 44. The external device of claim43, wherein the implantable internal device is a hearing prosthesisimplant and the external device is a speech processor.
 45. The externaldevice of claim 43, wherein the stored set of operating parametersinclude at least one of an electrode map including stimulation levels,selection of electrodes to stimulate, speech processing strategy oralgorithm, parameters of the speech processing strategy, or when toswitch between different speech processing strategies.
 46. The externaldevice of claim 43, wherein the implantable internal device is aninternal device of a hearing prosthesis, and the external device is anexternal device of the hearing prosthesis.
 47. The external device ofclaim 43, wherein the implantable internal device is an internal deviceof a middle ear implant, and the external device is an external deviceof the middle ear implant.
 48. The external device of claim 43, whereinthe implantable internal device is an internal device of an implantedacoustic device, and the external device is an external device of theimplanted acoustic device.
 49. The external device of claim 43, whereinthe implantable internal device is an internal device of an acousticauditory device, and the external device is an external device of theacoustic auditory device.
 50. The external device of claim 43, whereinthe implantable internal device is an internal device of an electricalauditory device, and the external device is an external device of theelectrical auditory device.
 51. The external device of claim 43, whereinthe implantable internal device is an internal device of a cochlearimplant, and the external device is an external device of the cochlearimplant.
 52. The external device of claim 43, wherein: the stored set ofoperating parameters is based on a MAP for an implantable electrodearray of the implantable internal device customized for the recipient ofthe implantable internal device.
 53. The external device of claim 43,wherein: the external device includes a plurality of different storedsets of operating parameters, wherein respective different stored setsof operating parameters of the plurality of different stored sets ofoperating parameters are respectively based on respective different MAPsfor different implantable electrode arrays of the implantable internaldevice.
 54. The external device of claim 43, wherein: the externaldevice is configured to be worn directly against the head of arecipient.
 55. The external device of claim 43, wherein: the externaldevice is configured to be worn directly against the body of arecipient, and the external device is configured to execute thefollowing actions: interact with the implantable internal device, detectthe identifier from the implantable internal device, determine if theidentifier corresponds to one of a plurality of identifiers, and if theidentifier does correspond, select and utilize a stored set of operatingparameters corresponding to said corresponding identifier to allow theexternal device to operate with the implantable internal device.
 56. Theexternal device of claim 43, wherein: the implantable internal device isa stimulator/receiver unit of a cochlear implant and the external deviceis a cochlear implant speech processor.
 57. The external device of claim43, wherein: the external device includes a component configured to beworn directly against the head of a recipient, the component includingan antenna transmitter coil, the external device being in signalcommunication with a speech processor of the external device.
 58. Theexternal device of claim 43, wherein: the external device is aBehind-The-Ear (BTE) device.
 59. The external device of claim 43,wherein the external device is configured to operate with at least twoseparate implantable internal devices, during separate temporal periods,that have respective different identifiers.
 60. The external device ofclaim 43, wherein the external device is configured to determine if theidentifier corresponds to one of at least two different implantableinternal device identifiers, and operate a first way if it is determinedthat the identifier corresponds to one of the at least two differentinternal device identifiers, and operate a second way different from thefirst way if it is determined that the identifier corresponds to anotherof the at least two different internal device identifiers.
 61. Theexternal device of claim 43, wherein the external device is configuredto interact with and operate with respective different implantableinternal devices that have respective different identifiers duringrespective different temporal periods by selecting and using respectivestored sets of operating parameters, stored in the external device,corresponding to the respective identifiers.